Brandon dove into the magma, plunging deeper. The thick, boiling magma emitted scorching heat and a strong sulfur smell hit him. He instinctively took a deep breath. Instantly, a large amount of magma poured into his lungs through his nostrils, causing Brandon to sneeze violently due to the heat. The inhaled magma, propelled by a powerful burst of air, was expelled through Brandon's nostrils, making the entire magma lake churn.
As Brandon's strength grew, so did his body's immunity to fire. Ordinary high temperatures no longer harmed him. The fiery red magma he had just inhaled felt no more than a sip of slightly hot tea.
The magma around him continuously churned, licking his purple-gold scales. The scales, coated as if with an oily film, allowed the magma to flow over his body without leaving a trace. Instead, it made the scales look even brighter and more lustrous.
As Brandon descended further, the magma's color changed from dark red to red, and then to a pale yellow. The magma became thinner, with fewer impurities the deeper he went. The substance resembled a thick yellow liquid, and the temperature rose sharply. Brandon stopped only when the magma turned a bright orange, with temperatures around him exceeding 3000 degrees Celsius.
Brandon sat on a massive rock, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
His mind calmed, and everything became incredibly quiet. He could hear his heartbeat and the sound of blood coursing through his veins. His spiritual power began to radiate naturally, encompassing an area of about a kilometer. His spiritual power rippled outward from Brandon like waves on a still pond. Suddenly, Brandon entered a strange state of tranquility.
In this state, he could sense everything within a kilometer as if it were under his direct control. He could perceive the magma's rise and fall, the movement of bubbles, and even the minute convection currents within the magma. This level of control was incredibly detailed. As Brandon observed these changes, he felt he could predict the next movements of the magma. Although it was just a feeling, his predictions were always accurate.
Brandon had experienced this sensation before, during his battle with the Cyan Beast. In that fight, entering this state allowed him to anticipate his opponent's moves and launch a fierce attack, which, although it didn't hit, scared his opponent away.
This time, the feeling was even clearer, and his mind was more focused. In this mental realm, Brandon felt like a god with the power of prophecy. Although he could only predict the next move, it was still immensely powerful.
Vast amounts of information flooded into Brandon's mind, and he instinctively analyzed this data like a supercomputer, using it to intuitively judge the target's movements. This ability resembled weather forecasting, where large amounts of baseline data predict the upcoming weather.
However, his spiritual power rapidly diminished during this process. Within an hour, Brandon felt a sudden dizziness and a throbbing headache, causing him to open his eyes and break the trance.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Enduring the headache, Brandon pondered. After the previous battle, he realized how useful this ability was, but it consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual power. With his current strength, he could sustain it for about an hour, and even less during intense combat.
He wondered how he could freely enter this state and began to recall the conditions under which he had activated this ability before.
Brandon lay prone on the giant rock, trying hard to recall his experiences. In his first battle, there hadn't been anything particularly unusual. He had just been staring at the Cyan Beast when suddenly he entered that state, with no warning at all. It wasn't until he exited the state that he even realized what had happened.
This time was even more puzzling. He had just begun meditating, and before he could react, his body entered the state spontaneously. It was completely baffling! Brandon thought in frustration.
What commonalities could there be between these two instances? Brandon pondered. During his fight with the Cyan Beast, he had been intensely focused on the blue creature, ignoring everything else. But while meditating, he was completely relaxed and calm. The two states were entirely different, and he couldn't make sense of it.
Ignoring his throbbing headache, Brandon decided to test it out. He concentrated, staring at the magma in front of him for a full half hour, but he couldn't enter the state, and his headache only worsened.
Seeing no success, Brandon stopped experimenting. It seemed that entering this state required the right timing and opportunity.
Brandon closed his eyes and resumed meditating. The next morning, he emerged from the magma and flew back to his lair. After a night of meditation, his spiritual power had fully recovered.
Upon returning to his lair, Brandon found that the five giant Jiaos had returned. In recent years, these giant Jiaos had been active in the sea, where they were far more formidable than on land.
In the sea, the Jiaos were much faster and more agile than on land. Their inherited deadly constriction technique was easier and more effective to use, with greater power.
Since Brandon had directed the five giant Jiaos to operate in the sea, they thrived as if they were in their element. They often stayed out for days before returning, spending most of their time in the water. The vast food resources of the sea meant they never lacked sustenance. Their immense power and mutual support allowed the five brothers to live increasingly well in the ocean.
After a few days apart, the Jiaos seemed to have grown even larger. Over five years of training, the five giant Jiaos had reached the peak of the Earth Level, especially the one Brandon had rescued from the United States. It was now on the verge of breaking through to the Lesser Heaven Level, its energy reaching a critical point and slowly transforming.
During its year of evading capture and battling U.S. forces, its cultivation had lagged, but its wisdom had grown immensely. Many unclear aspects of its training suddenly became clear. After returning to the island, it progressed rapidly, catching up to the other Jiaos in just two years.
These giant Jiaos now spanned 1.5 meters in width. Their massive bodies were covered in densely packed scales the size of bowls, gleaming with a metallic luster in the sunlight. Their heads were becoming less snake-like, with elongated snouts and bulging eyes. Apart from the two whiskers by their noses, they increasingly resembled crocodiles.
Their enormous, ferocious teeth slightly protruded, sharp as daggers. At that moment, they were lazily basking in the sun on the clearing in front of the lair. Their bodies were stretched out, eyes half-closed, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Their fiery red horns sparkled with a crystalline brilliance, like the purest red crystals.
Brandon's body descended from the sky, casting a huge shadow on the ground. The previously lazy Jiaos immediately reacted, lifting their heads. Seeing their mighty king descend from the sky, they all prostrated themselves on the ground. A neat row of giant heads appeared on the ground in reverence.